Amy Totenberg nominated to be federal judge

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated former school board attorney Amy Totenberg to the U.S. District Court bench in Atlanta.

At the same time Wednesday, Obama nominated Leonard Stark to the U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"They have both displayed an exceptional commitment to public service and they will be thoughtful and esteemed additions to the federal bench," Obama said. "I am honored to nominate them."

Totenberg declined to comment Wednesday. From 1994 to 1998, she was the first in-house general counsel for the Atlanta school system. She was a part-time Atlanta Municipal Court judge from 1988 to 1993 while working as a private attorney.

Since 2000, Totenberg has practiced law and served as a private mediator and arbitrator. She has been serving as a special master, overseeing and monitoring a special education lawsuit in Baltimore. She also serves as a court monitor for the U.S. District Court in Washington.

Totenberg graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977 and is the sister of Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio's legal affairs correspondent. If confirmed by the Senate, Amy Totenberg would fill one of four vacancies on the U.S. District Court bench in Atlanta.